Dynamic Landscapes

I'm here at Dynamic Landscapes in beautiful Burlington, Vermont today and yesterday (which was rainy and less beautiful).  There is so much great information here and inspiring student projects.

 

Yesterday I attended a presentation panel about Book Battles and a variety of ways do host them.  I am excited to do a Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Battle with my 4th and 5th graders next year! 

In the afternoon I went to a fun workshop about "Putting the Creative in STEM" where we played with Spheros, Dash, and a basketball that can provide feedback to help you improve your game!

This morning I attended a presentation by Diana Laufenberg about how help kids determine what is true in this age of alternative facts and truthiness.  There was a great discussion about what it means to be a kid these days and from that I came away with several ideas include in my digital safety lessons. I just finished an eye-opening presentation on copyright and the Creative Commons.  So much to know and so much knowledge to share!

On deck for the afternoon is info about Vermont Online Library, Red Clover books, and putting it all into action! 

UPDATE:  The Red Clover presentation was excellent and full of creative ideas by Beth Redford and M.C. Baker.

Tiny little rock penguins to accompany the book Penguin Problems, by Jory John.  Art project by M.C. Baker.

M.C. Baker had a fun "marbled box" project to go along with Daniel Finds a Poem, by Micha Archer.  The box is a beautiful place to keep your words or poetry, and the project is so easy and fun!

Art project by M.C. Baker.

This is the box I made!  The rubber bands are holding it together while the glue dries. 

After the Red Clover presentation I ended up going to a panel discussion called "Empower, Educate, Engage: Combining Data, Stories, and Conversations to Develop Community Partnerships at All Levels," led by Heidi Heustis.  This was panel covered a variety of topics including data collection, identifying key stakeholders, promoting your library, and more; all around the idea of increase awareness about who you are and what goes on in the library.  I came away with a better understanding of the importance of tracking data, communicating with stakeholders, and documenting accomplishments (and data) each year.